


Finding a Miracle

by Kaddi



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Childhood Friends, Christmas, Fluff, Knight AU, M/M, POV: Riku, who meet again after not seeing each other for YEARS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21967054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaddi/pseuds/Kaddi
Summary: A day before Christmas, Riku returns to King Mickey's court.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 145





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foxdreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxdreams/gifts).



> My Christmas gift for the dear Kristin <3

A day before Christmas, Riku returns to King Mickey's court. Like every year, Disney Castle is brimming with decorations. Small Christmas trees covered in ornaments line the way, leading up to a grand tree in the center of the courtyard. Wherever he looks are figurines and wood carvings. Fairy lights the colour of a rainbow – courtesy of the court wizards – lazily fly about. Their light reflects off the snow covering everything. A white Christmas, once again.

His invitation is neatly tucked away in his travelling bag. He cannot wait to put it with the others he has received; One for every year he has served the King. Spending Christmas here has become a treasured tradition, although he would never admit to it (or bother to show up earlier than necessary). The King greets him warmly no matter how long he has been gone, even when it's the first and last time they see each other that year. That, in spite of everything else, makes him go back each time. He owes Mickey this much, at least. To show his face once in a while.

This year is different. When he enters the court an attendant rushes to his side, not to accept his horse, but to deliver a message: He is to see the King posthaste. His blood runs cold and he all but jumps from his horse to rush to his King's side with nary a thank you to the messenger. It's not strange for him to order Riku to him for a personal greeting, however, Riku is usually allowed some time to settle in and get used to the hustle and bustle of the royal court.  _ Posthaste... _ His head swims with worst case scenarios as he hurries through the hallways of the castle. All the way to the throne room, where he allows himself a moment's reprieve to catch his breath and fix his hair. Whatever it is the King needs him for so urgently, he must be composed and calm if he is to be of any help. It wouldn't do for him to appear frazzled. A thin layer of fresh snow still covers his armor, but there is little to be done about that now. Same holds true for the sword still fastened to his hip. Thankfully, the King doesn't take offence at that. He steels himself and enters.

The King isn't alone. Riku slows his pace. There stands another person, facing away from Riku. He can only make out their chestnut-brown hair, which is quite unruly as though they didn't bother with a comb after a fitful night of sleep, as they wear a bulky travelling coat that covers their frame. They are of shorter stature than Riku, yet still almost twice as tall as the King.

The King looks up from the stranger to Riku with a smile on his face. That is... strange. Riku frowns, just a little bit.

"There you are!" the King says with his usual cheer.

"As you have ordered, Your Majesty," he replies evenly.

He comes to a halt next to the stranger, his eyes trained on his King, resisting the temptation to look over and get a closer look at this stranger. From the corner of his eye he can just about see their hair.

"Gosh, I'm happy to see you. Did you just arrive?"

His frown deepens. His Majesty is making small talk. He was under the impression this was serious, so why isn't he getting right to the point? Very well, then he will be the one to cut to the chase.

"I have. What do you need of me?"

"Oh, yes! This here is Sora. I want you to meet him."

_ Sora _ . That name is so achingly familiar it squeezes his heart. But he doesn't know a Sora anymore. They've said goodbye to each other more than a decade ago, and he has no interest to meet any other 'Sora'.

Riku turns to the man next to him, only to find his eyes already on him. Startling blue: the colour of the night sky lit up by a thousand stars, slightly creased by the smile tugging at his lips. Freckles dust his face in little constellations to accompany the sky in his eyes.

He watches as if bewitched as  _ Sora _ lifts a hand and reaches out; It seems like time slows down while he waits for him to touch him. His breath catches in his throat and he doesn't dare move a muscle.

However, the next moment the spell breaks for both of them, as  _ Sora _ abruptly stops, his hand suspended in mid-air. The smile slips off his face and his eyes widen. Riku's hand twitches to reach out and complete what he started, but  _ Sora _ clenches his hand and brings the fist to rest over his heart, the smile that returns now smaller. Riku blinks and tries to quell the disappointment in his chest. He did  _ not _ want to be touched by this person, and he certainly doesn't feel disappointed when it doesn't happen, like a déjà vu gone wrong. This man must be a witch to have such an effect on him. A witch...?

_ Sora _ 's eyes move off him – distantly, he thinks he may have said something – and it takes several seconds for Riku to follow his gaze when it doesn't return to him. The King is looking at him with an eyebrow raised expectantly. A cold shiver runs down his back. His King was talking to him and he did not notice. He turns away from Sora, staring at the ground instead of this bewitching man.

"My apologies, Your Majesty."

Sora snickers. The sound sends Riku's already erratic heart hammering in his throat, and then to his horror the King joins in, chuckling good-naturedly.

"It's quite alright, Riku! It's not every day someone catches your eye."

Riku clenches his jaw shut instead of trying to justify himself, and hopes the heat in his face doesn't colour it red.

"Now, as I was saying, I request that you aid Sora on his path to becoming a true knight. Is that alright with you, Riku?"

In surprise Riku looks up at him. This isn't the first time the King has tried putting fledgling knights into his care, but he still feels like he is missing something. But Sora feels so strangely familiar that for the first time, Riku isn't disinclined, if only to figure out  _ why.  _ A long time ago he has decided to try and follow his heart, and it is clear what his heart is telling him.

"I accept."

"Good! You can use Christmas to become acquainted with each other."

They bow before the King.

Riku resolutely avoids looking at Sora while they stride through the hallways at a speed Sora has trouble matching. He can't outrun him, so he'll try doing it with the mortification he feels at the King seeing right through him. Even now his heart is beating too fast and he knows it's not from the exertion.

"Slow down, Riku," Sora calls.

At hearing his voice, Riku stops dead in his tracks. It's deeper than he expected, sweet like honey and warm like sunlight. Sora barely manages to skid to a halt behind him and avoid bumping into him.

"Riku... It's really you, right?"

There's a moment of silence where the only sound ringing in his ears is the pounding of his heart while his world shatters and rebuilds itself around the possibility that this is  _ his  _ Sora _. _

"Sora?" he asks, his voice curling around the name.

"That's me." Sora's voice is gentle, trembling at the edges. "Look at me?"

Riku clenches his fists, trying to ground himself. But if Sora asks this of him, he will try. Slowly, he turns around.

Sora smiles, and that, too, is wobbly. "Do you recognize me?"

He does. He  _ does _ . It's all a bit too much. The memories were locked away for so long, he isn't sure if he is ready for light to disturb them. They were separated and he wanted to forget.

They grew up together in a small village by the sea. The man in front of him is – was his best friend since birth. Riku was only a little older than him, and they were nigh inseparable. They belonged together, Riku used to say proudly. They held hands and hugged and slept together, all those things that made adults look at them funny. He never understood. There was a promise during a starfall – he shakes his head. They played knights and dragons together until it stopped being fun once his father caught wind of it. The village witch called them soulmates, and he had laughed about it then.

Now, he wonders if there wasn't truth to that. He had never expected to see Sora again, after his father sent him away – after he stopped fighting tooth and nail to remain by Sora's side, because love and expectations were too big and heavy for his young heart to handle – to become a real knight, yet here they are. And Riku, silly and stupid as he is, helplessly watches these buried feelings unfurl and bloom again at just the  _ sight _ of him.

"I couldn't forget you," he whispers.

Sora  _ beams. _ He reaches out and this time Riku meets him halfway, grabbing his hand. He can feel Sora's warmth through the gauntlet.

"I found you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: this is technically an AU of my Knight AU. We Must Go Deeper.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again!! It's Kristin's birthday, and with it comes a second chapter for this, apparently.

The connection between them buzzes with new life. A heavy weight in Riku's heart has been lifted. If he weren't holding onto Sora's hand, he may just float away and take his place in heaven. He reaches out to Sora with his other hand, to cup his cheek maybe, but lets it fall limply on Sora's shoulder instead. Act too rash, and this will crumble around him. It's been too long for touches like that.  
Sora steps forward and presses himself against Riku, despite the armor between them that should make it uncomfortable. Hugging isn't something knights do, and Riku can't remember the last time he has gotten one (distantly, he realizes, it must have been before he left). He's almost frozen, looking down at Sora's brown hair. He doesn't dare to move his arm to pull him into a proper embrace, or to squeeze the hand still holding his. Then, to his horror, Sora begins trembling, and the next time he speaks, his voice is watery.

"I missed you. I've missed you for so long."

It hits him in his chest like lightning. Maybe stronger. He's fought against the storm before, and it didn't hurt like this. There's no accusation in his voice.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, for what else could he say?

"We're together now. That's what matters."

He bites his tongue. Sora can't really be happy with that. How long had he been searching for Riku, while Riku had stayed here, doing nothing to find him even long after he regained the freedom to leave? Maybe he didn't want to be found. For all their similarities, this man before him is different from the young Sora he knew and fell in love with. Riku missed him. He should have been there to see Sora grow up, to grow up alongside him, yet instead he had closed his eyes, content to remain in the dark. Only to desperately grasp at the light suddenly shining on him. And he has no explanation for any of it.

They're also in the middle of a public hallway. By pure luck they've remained undisturbed but someone is bound to pass through here.

"Sora?" The name tastes forbidden in his mouth.

Sora looks up, and Riku's heart constricts at the tears silently running down his cheeks. What happened to the Sora who sobbed as loud as the cascades?

"Shall we?" He leaves the invitation open, a way for Sora to turn it down, although the Sora he knows wouldn't leave.

Sora wipes his tears on his sleeves, sniffles quietly, and smiles at him. "Yeah. Let's go."

While he leads them through the winding hallways, he is careful to keep them on the lesser frequented paths. "The scenic route," is what Xion, fellow travelling swordfighter, called it when they first showed around their beloved Naminé. It'll take longer to reach their destination this way, but – glancing back at Sora – Riku thinks he won't mind.

Beneath the fairy lights, it's not as noticeable that his face is still red from crying. The colours dance in his wet eyes and his wild hair, painting them to their liking. His features are sharper now, though there is still a roundness to his face he doubts Sora will ever lose. His mind keeps dredging up old memories, now that he allows access to them, comparing them to the Sora who is with him now. They pale to the present. Riku is captivated. Sora is so full of life, and the longer he watches him, the more foolish he feels for mourning the one he lost. Riku wants to touch him, to make sure this is not a dream after all – albeit a dream could not replicate this. He'd never dare to dream this. He clenches his fist and keeps it at his side.

Sora smiles up at him and Riku quickly averts his eyes, caught again. Was Sora always this small? It seems time has only strenghtened their height difference. He slows down to allow Sora to catch up and let them walk side by side. In the next moment, Sora gently takes Riku's hand – and Riku almost stumbles, knightly poise forgotten.

"So I don't get lost," Sora mumbles.

"Of course," Riku mutters back, pointedly looking away to hide his blushing face.

The one place he can think of where they can talk without worrying about being interrupted are his quarters. No one comes up here without good reason. It's out of the way and just one stairwell away from the Wizard Merlin's abode. The wizard is kind and all too eager to have a chat. Riku almost became his apprentice by accident.

His room isn't big, but it is his. There is enough room for a bed, at least. The windows – one facing eastward for the sunrise, the other facing westward for the sunset – have little flower petals painted on them, courtesy of Naminé. They're enchanted so they can't fade, a gift in exchange for the paints he helped procure. Xion has left their mark here, too, in the form of seashells. They bring him a new one each time they meet.

"I hope it's alright that I took you here," Riku says.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Because Riku wouldn't have followed himself here. But it was undeniably Sora to not question or doubt his intentions. So he shrugs, and instead points Sora to a bowl of water standing in a corner on a small pillar – that, too, is a gift he received. "You can clean your face there."

Then he turns his back to Sora and begins taking off his armor. It will need to be polished, the melting snow taking its shine with it. On the other hand, he won't need it until the tournament, if at all. Maybe he can get out of participating this year. After all, Sora is here now.

Sora hums a little melody while he is washing up. Riku hums along, following it with only a little delay. It's not a tune he recognizes, but

"Here, let me help," Sora says, suddenly a lot closer.

Riku hadn't noticed him coming up to his side, busy fumbling with the buckles of his breastplate. Sora gently pushes his hand aside to do it for him. Without the gauntlet, his touch is so much warmer. It travels from his hand straight to his heart, and it beats happily. He softly directs Sora on what to do to get the armor off and tries his best to appear normal. It is a lot easier when he's not alone. Once it's off, he changes into a more comfortable set of clothes. His braid has become a bit loose, but he'll redo it later.

Finally he turns back around, immediately catching Sora's eyes. He didn't think it would make much of a difference, but being around Sora without his armor is weird. He feels exposed, like Sora could see right through him now. Truly, it's like he can now hear the thunderous beating of his heart that refuses to calm down. And though he has nothing to fear or be on guard for, he tenses regardless.

As Sora does not seem to be inclined to break their eye contact, Riku clears his throat and sits down on his bed, gesturing for Sora to join him, who does so with too much enthusiasm. They end up sitting too close for Riku's liking.

"So, a knight. You?" he asks, trying to break the awkwardness of his own making.

He pulls his knees to his chest. It's just Sora, so he is not too worried about keeping up appearances. He only knows Riku as his best friend, not as a knight.

"Yup! Well, not yet. Kind of... not at all."

"Sora. Did you lie to the King?" Riku frowns.

Sora frantically waves his hands. "No! I just, uh, implied certain things."

For a moment they stare at each other, both wide-eyed, and in the next Riku laughs. It's quiet and painted with disbelief, fighting its way through his attempt of remaining cool. Sora, on the other hand, laughs loudly and genuinely. Freely.

"I can't believe you!" Riku wheezes, doubled over with the effort to contain his laughter. "He's the King, Sora!"

"Riku!! I told you, I didn't lie!"

"If you wanted to see me, you could have just asked!"

He freezes, clamping his mouth shut. He did not mean to say that. Sora leans forward, grinning.

"You think? A bumbling peasant like me could waltz in here and demand to see _the_ Dawnwind, _the_ Fateful Silver, _the_ Dreammaker himself?"

Riku almost physically recoils, hiding his fierce blush behind a hand. "They do  _not_ call me that."

Truth be told, he's heard worse names, ones so embarrassing he cannot imagine them to be anything but ridicule. Hopefully those remained far, far away from Sora.

"And you're not a peasant," he adds. "Or bumbling.

"You're my friend." And he knows that to be true, even if they'll have to get to know each other again.

Sora bursts into tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku's emotions are like a bouncy ball.
> 
> this chapter's fun fact: this fic's unofficial title is "christmas knight," to differentiate it from my other knight stuff. although,,, it hasn't been that christmas-y yet.


End file.
